integer

noun

in·​te·​ger ˈin-ti-jər 

1

: any of the natural numbers, the negatives of these numbers, or zero

2

: a complete entity

Synonyms

• digit
• figure
• number
• numeral
• numeric
• whole number

Examples of integer in a Sentence

Both 10 and -10 are integers.

three is a positive integer

Recent Examples on the Web

The difficulty of factoring increases exponentially with the size of the number, meaning that the gap between 50-bit and 2048-bit integers is astronomically large. —Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024

For example, the even integers form a subgroup within the integers. —Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024

An even integer plus an even integer always results in another even integer. —Leila Sloman, Quanta Magazine, 6 Sep. 2024

But Cantor showed that, paradoxically, though the number of fractions is the same as the number of integers, there are demonstrably more irrational numbers. —Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 21 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin, adjective, whole, entire — more at entire entry 1

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

integer

noun

in·​te·​ger ˈint-i-jər 

: a number that is a natural number (as 1, 2, or 3), the negative of a natural number, or 0

called also whole number